“Keeping your personal radar on full, all the time, helps managers better understand situations, adapt accordingly and balance business objectives with local sensitivities.”

Gavin has worked in some of the most politically-charged countries in the world including Afghanistan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Latvia, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Malawi – and often at times of conflict or post-conflict recovery.

His 25 year exposure as a CEO and CFO in mobile and fixed telecoms has given him a wealth of experience that he shares with clients charged with new challenges such as start-ups and change management projects.

Enabling others to make a lasting difference is where he believes Wyze adds real value: “Being faced with the unknown can make for ineffective leadership; we help executives understand how they can thrive in alien environments by listening, analysing the risks carefully, reading situations accurately and understanding what’s important.”

Gavin has first-hand experience of physical, political and corruption challenges where they have the potential to seriously impact or even close down operations. He helps clients make well-informed pre-entry risk decisions by sharing his knowledge of how threats can manifest themselves and impact investment plans.

Resourcefulness, awareness and recognition of local motivations and abilities are skills Gavin has applied to many international appointments. He believes greater individual and project resilience can be built when executives learn how to interpret early information and build useful risk profiles.

Gavin is a British national and a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.